And Hell Followed: A Horror Novel

by Tatiana Xavi

  “Yeah and not like those safe zones out east either,” Rodriquez said. “Our camps are big and safe. We keep the dead out and the living living.”

  The black man eyed Daddy. “We’re always looking for men with experience.”

  “You in the military, boss?” Miller asked Daddy, but he was looking at me.

  “Long time ago.”

  “Would you like to return with us?” the black man asked.

  “It’s a fine offer, but we’ve got people up north expecting us.”

  “People, huh?” Miller said, now looking at Bellamy. “By people, do you mean more pretty girls like these?”

  A smiling Rodriquez moved closer to Ryan who tensed. “Yeah, how come you’ve got so many pretty girls? Most times, we just meet survivors with the wrong plumbing. Even when they’re female, they ain’t pretty like these.”

  The black man frowned and bumped Rodriquez. “They’re not going to come back with us if you keep leering at them. Some of them don’t even look legal, man.”

  “Legal?” Miller asked, laughing. “What laws you worried about breaking, Abner? Last time I checked, we’re living in the end times.”

  “He’s just gone soft since Prophet Candy,” said the man at the gun. “Thinks the world can get happy again.”

  Miller laughed. “Ever since Prophet Candy spread for him, Abner’s got the faith.”

  Feeling Daddy’s tension, I knew he wanted to leave these men before something bad happened. Next to me, Ryan was grinding his teeth and blocking Morgan. Zippy might have been considering her better option –– sticking with us or going with the military men. Bellamy’s expression was unreadable.

  “Shut up,” Abner said. “If these people want to go, we let them go. Those are our orders.”

  “Screw our orders,” Miller said. “We ain’t in Texas. We’re in hell, and here we make our own orders. If it’s waiting to die for some man in an office or mutiny, I’m ready for mutiny.”

  “Is treason your cup of tea, friend?” Bellamy asked.

  “Am I your friend?” Miller murmured. His face was a few inches from hers, but she never reacted to his proximity. “I’d love to be a friend to a pretty thing like you. I bet with all the hooker makeup washed off that you’re the belle of the ball.”

  “Prettier than Prophet Candy, for sure,” Rodriquez said with a grin. “Abner didn’t mind old wrinkled Candy, but I like my ladies on the younger side.”

  Daddy moved ever so slightly, just enough to send a warning signal to Ryan. The younger man was too tense, and soon violence would break out. Violence we wouldn’t win.

  “Candy knew things,” Abner said, lighting a cigarette. “God told her.”

  The military men laughed at Abner who shrugged.

  “Oh, she learned those things through her magical pussy, did she?” Miller teased and turned to me. “Said a magic man touched her and showed her the truth. Can you imagine how he touched her, doll?”

  I didn’t react to the last question. If I got scared and cried, Daddy would react. While I knew death was inevitable with men like Miller, Rodriquez, and the man with the big gun, I didn’t want us to be the ones who died.

  “Laugh all you want,” Abner said, pulling Miller away from me. “Candy understood about the zombies. She said the man showed her.”

  “Oh, yeah, she knew,” said the man with the big gun. “Knew until they tore her arms off and she flopped around dying on the ground like a fish.”

  Turning to us, Abner took a drag on his cigarette. When he exhaled, he got a far away look in his eyes.

  “Candy said the world has always been full of subs. She said the subs hid, though, but they ain’t got to hide no more. These new subs are taking over, but we humans can survive if we’re smart. The way to be smart is to know there’s more than one kind of sub.”

  “Sub,” Rodriquez snickered. “Like a sandwich, Abner?”

  “Sub-species,” Bellamy said, and her eyes were as lifeless as ever. “Those zombies aren’t dead. They’re just a subspecies of humans.”

  “And they weren’t the first,” Abner said, clearly relieved to find someone who believed him. “I sure wish Candy hadn’t died like she did. She was smart about the subs, and she knew things, and I liked her.”

  “We all liked her, but for a whore, she sure got uppity,” Miller said. “Having her arms ripped off like that served her right. Uppity women are the worst. Are you uppity, doll?”

  Miller was focused on Bellamy again, and she was focused on him too. Abner didn’t seem to notice. Finishing his cigarette, he dropped it to the ground and stomped hard on the butt.

  “Candy was a good woman. A real prophet too, but she got scared,” Abner said softly. “She got hurt too many times, and she got scared. Anyone would. You shouldn’t make fun of her.”

  “Abner was in love with the crazy woman,” Rodriquez said, peeking around Ryan to see Morgan who shifted away.

  Grinning, the man with the big gun wiped sweat from his face.

  “The crazy bitch said there were men who turned into beasts. Said there were men who needed blood to survive. They were subs, and we had to watch out for more than just zombies and militias and scavengers. We had to worry about the rising of the other subs once the population shift made them the majority.”

  Rodriquez smiled. “Candy was a nutjob, but she had nice teeth. You got nice teeth, sweetheart?”

  Morgan hid her face in Ryan’s back while her brother barely restrained his rage. Daddy, though, wasn’t paying attention to the men anymore. His gaze was focused on the ridge in the distance.

  “Hey, brother!” Bellamy said excitedly and patted Miller on the shoulder. “Hey, sister!” she said to me. Spinning in circles, she smiled big and crazy. “Hey, world! Have you heard the good news?”

  Bellamy stopped spinning and looked at Miller. “Have you heard the news, brother? Have you heard Gabriel blowing his horn? Have you heard the angels weeping, brother?”

  Bellamy leaned closer to Miller who grinned at her. When she spoke, her voice was gentle, seductive maybe. I noticed her eyes were no longer lifeless. She looked full on crazy now.

  “A prophet once told me a funny story about the four who walk the Earth and wait for the blood to flow. Have you heard the story, Miller?”

  “Honey, you can tell me any damn story you want as long as I can use your mouth for something else later.”

  Bellamy raised her arms into the air. “Hallelujah! Brothers and sisters, war is coming! Blood shall flow, and all will find death!”

  Bellamy lowered her hands onto Miller’s shoulders. “You, my friend, will not be around to see it, though. You, my friend, will not be around to see anything. You, my friend, should have listened to Prophet Candy.”

  Bellamy’s smile faded, and her eyes lost all their life. She stared at Miller, and the man’s smile disappeared. Shrugging her hands off his shoulders, he backed away.

  “She’s as crazy as Candy. Are all the women crazy now? Maybe there’s not a sane one left in the entire world.”

  Bellamy stared at Miller who frowned darkly, angry to learn his new girlfriend was crazy. While Rodriquez peeked around Ryan to ogle Morgan, the man with the big gun smiled hard at Zippy. Abner started smoking another cigarette as Daddy watched the horizon.

  “My name is Death,” Bellamy told Miller softly and winked. “And hell follows me.”

  Never had I seen so many zombies before. They streamed over the ridge and straight toward us. Another horde emerged from the woods behind us. There was no chance of hiding or fighting back. We couldn’t even run. There was no escape.

  I didn’t understand how Miller, Rodriquez, and the man with the big gun took so long to notice the zombies coming. Abner saw them, though. His eyes widened, and he sucked hard on the cigarette. I suspected he was thinking about Candy.

  A zombie’s excited cry finally alerted the other men to their fates. As Miller grabbed his rifle, the man with the big gun fired too. The quick rattle of their autom
atic weapons sent the zombies into a moaning frenzy.

  Rodriguez ran to the truck and sped away despite Miller shouting for him to wait. Heading for the mass of bodies, Rodriquez was unable to go around them. Crashing into one of the hordes, he lost control, and the truck smashed into a tree. Soon Rodriquez was screaming, but he didn’t scream for long.

  Miller and the man with the big gun kept firing on the hordes. Pushing back against the zombies closing in around them, they yelled for Abner to help. Instead, the man just sucked on his cigarette and watched Bellamy.

  Daddy was also watching Bellamy. “You’ve got this handled, right?”

  A smiling Bellamy threw her arms into the air and announced, “Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer! Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried! Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life!”

  Miller screamed for her to shut up and help him. We were all carrying weapons, but we didn’t have enough bullets to stop the hordes. All around us, thousands of zombies stepped over their fallen brethren and kept coming.

  Wrapping his arms around me, Daddy said he loved me. His gaze focused on Bellamy who stared at the clouds and began to cry.

  “They came from the sky and dropped their bombs,” she said, sobbing now. “They killed the infected, and they killed the healthy. They killed the sinners, and they killed the righteous. They killed the blind, and they killed those who could see. They killed Pestilence. They killed Famine. They killed War. But they did not kill Death.”

  Turning around, I grabbed onto Daddy and pressed my face against his chest. Morgan and Ryan were holding each other too as Zippy stood alone between Abner and Bellamy.

  “I should have protected Candy better,” Abner said.

  My face remained cradled against my father while the hordes descended upon us. While I didn’t know if the man with the big gun or Miller ran or held their ground, I knew they kept firing until the zombies tore the guns out of their warm live hands. They screamed, but they didn’t scream for long. Death comes quickly in a horde.

  Crushed in the many bodies, I waited for the zombies to feast on us. Their numbers suffocated us until I felt the zombies better than I felt Daddy who still held me. As if fighting a tide, I clutched onto Daddy who tightened his embrace. We fought to keep ourselves from being pulling apart by the sheer number of zombies around us.

  Waiting for screams from my group, I instead heard Morgan crying and Zippy praying. Abner yelled an apology to Candy over the noise of the zombies moaning, grunting, hissing, and growling. He begged her to forgive him for being unable to save her that day.

  Daddy whispered to me, promising how everything would be okay and I would taste tomatoes again. He reminded me of how God brought me back to him. Daddy whispered and I heard him even over Abner’s cries for forgiveness, Zippy’s prayers, and Morgan’s sobs.

  Hearing his words over the zombies, I heard them more clearly as the horde quieted. The sensation of being crushed between thousands of bodies faded and Daddy’s grip eased. His whispering ended, and I finally forced open my eyes. Lifting my head from the safety of his jacket, I looked around.

  The three hordes became one to destroy the military men. Once their mission completed, they headed in the direction of more soldiers. Abner watched them go, his eyes so wide I thought they might pop out of his head. He lit a cigarette, took a hard drag on it, and then exhaled loudly.

  “Guess Candy forgave you,” Bellamy said.

  Makeup smeared where she wiped away her tears, Bellamy was surrounded by her mustached zombies who looked concerned to see her crying.

  “No worries, boys. Bad memories catch up to us all.”

  Abner studied the leaving zombies and then looked at Bellamy. “Thank you.”

  Walking to him, Bellamy patted his shoulder. “You really should have kept Candy alive. I bet she was a sassy chickpea who knew how to make a grown man cry.”

  With this proclamation, Bellamy walked away. Daddy watched her go and then checked on Morgan who was shaking so badly that she needed to sit down.

  “Is she really Death?” Morgan whispered.

  Watching Bellamy follow the zombies with her entourage close behind, I suspected she was leading the horde to destroy more soldiers. While I knew she wanted vengeance for her family, I wasn’t sure if she would ever come back. Watching her disappear down the road, I fought the urge to follow, and I had to fight hard too.

  Chapter Nine

  Hours passed waiting for Bellamy to return. With night coming, we needed somewhere to rest, yet the group didn’t move on. We waited because Bellamy was our security blanket, making us feel safe in an unsafe world.

  Whether by choice or because she was caught in the fighting, Bellamy never returned. After scavenging anything useful from the military vehicles, we continued our trek to site four. Moving slowly though, we still hoped Bellamy might appear with her mustached zombies.

  Coming with us, Abner never seemed to consider returning to the government’s temporary base. By the sounds of gunfire around twenty minutes after Bellamy left us, I doubted the base would be there for Abner to return to anyway.

  After the hordes became one and Bellamy led them to the government base, there was a lot of effort to hold back the thousands of zombies. We heard gunfire even after we finally started walking at dusk. Helicopters circled the area, and some of them crashed. While Bellamy exacted her vengeance, I doubted she felt any better.

  That night we slept in a ratty old house in a deserted town, having emptied out to follow Bellamy’s silent call. The only zombies we spotted were limbless and disabled, yet still struggling to follow the others.

  When we left the next morning, zombies were returning to town. Though they saw us, the zombies didn’t follow. Territorial, they were already grumpy over leaving their homes. Despite their bad moods, the zombies clearly ate well the night before.

  Our group moved slowly, still hoping Bellamy might catch up. Though she had no idea where site four was except for near Springfield. At least a day behind us, Bellamy couldn’t catch up no matter how slowly we walked.

  Missing Bellamy, I longed for her to dig into my brain, soothing the new part of me where the hunger lived. Plus she was funny, and we could have been friends in a way she couldn’t be with the mustached zombies.

  Another night approached, but Daddy kept walking. He was grumpy all day because he knew what I did. Bellamy wasn’t catching up. Life just seemed more hopeful with Death around.

  Morgan never complained about the day of walking. She was able to stop for bathroom breaks, and our pace wasn’t hurried. Ryan slowed to walk with her which wasn’t easy with his long legs. Every time I glanced back at them, Ryan smiled at me. He missed the evening kisses. I missed them too, but mostly I missed being close to someone.

  Ryan would soon meet Haley and Ava who were pretty and had very different personalities. Ava was strong-willed, outgoing, and tough as nails. Haley was soothing, smart, and shy. Unsure what kind of girls Ryan liked before the plague, I figured between Ava and Haley he’d find someone new to kiss.

  I worried I was teasing him after telling Ryan how things would change once we reached site four. No matter what I said, he seemed undeterred. As much as he would like Ava and Haley, I worried Ryan wouldn’t give them a chance if he thought I might change my mind. All the kissing and smiling at him left the door open, and I wanted it closed.

  To avoid flirting with him, I ignored Ryan and Morgan when they whispered to each other. I even refused to look back when their whispering grew heated. Finally, Daddy turned around and frowned at them.

  “What?”

  Daddy’s irritation gave me permission to look back, and I found Ryan darkly frowning while Morgan pulled at his sleeve.

  “Tell them,” she said softly.

  Losing his temper, Daddy walked past me and made a beeline for Ryan. His mood had soured all day as he worried over Bellamy. She was my age and walking a
round with a zombie posse. In his mind, she needed protecting. He looked less protective of Ryan and Morgan as he stalked toward them.

  “Tell me what?”

  “Don’t you feel it?” Ryan said, holding his ground while Morgan stepped back.

  “If I did, would we be having this conversation?”

  “We’re being hunted.”

  Daddy glanced around before he pulled Billy from his back holster and used the scope to check the perimeter. Even with his face frozen with irritation, I noticed the fear in his eyes. Turning in the direction he was looking, I saw and heard nothing. I felt it, though.

  My gaze focused on Ryan who waited for me to acknowledge what I felt. I’d been feeling it for a while, but the sensation was stronger now.

  “There were rumors back at the camp,” Ryan said, “about infected animals turning rabid. Derek said the virus deformed the animals too, making them bigger and stronger.”

  Daddy lowered his rifle then glanced at me. Even though I didn’t react, Daddy knew I felt something.

  “What do you suggest we do?” Daddy asked with his eyes on me even as spoke to Ryan.

  “We need to get off the road and see if they follow,” Ryan said, taking Morgan’s hand and walking to where Zippy, Daddy, and I were standing.

  Frowning in the direction Daddy saw something, Abner asked, “And if they do follow?”

  “Then we kill them.”

  “We need to stay on the road,” Daddy said, again looking through his scope. “Get to site four before the group moves on.”

  “Evan,” Ryan muttered in a weird voice, “you don’t want to see these animals in action. They move fast, and they’re vicious. We’ve lost people to them. Good strong hunters too.”

  Ryan then looked at me as if to remind Daddy what he could lose. I didn’t like Ryan manipulating Daddy, and I didn’t want to get off the road.

  On the other hand, I knew what Daddy did. Ryan rarely spoke up or took the lead.

  As we left the road, Ryan claimed moving away from the animals’ territory meant they shouldn’t follow. It was strange how Ryan claimed there were only rumors of these animals back at camp, but then he sounded like they were a fact, and he knew their patterns. Daddy probably noticed Ryan’s shifting explanations too but said nothing.